The Rag Princess

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The Rag Princess by Barbara Franzen
Developmental Edit-Ladette Randolph

A Nebraska Story Meet the Cast:

 Celeste Dusty- a twelve year old farm girl-

 Socialite Aunt Sylvie from Lincoln - emotionally abusive to Celeste

 Pastor Evan (pedophile in desguise) who likes Celeste  more than God-

Will Temple-the boy from Celeste's  past with whom she falls in love-

Travel about the farm and field and see the John Deere's and Allis Chambers and Fords

Witness the Great Depression and Recreation-Banner Country Church, with baseball games
Cake walks, Box Lunches and the Harvest Festival and Canteen for WW11 and the Ladie's Union Aid, a Cessna, Vintage Department Stores and Lincoln's Sunken Gardens and A Street and see Shridan Boulevard at Christmas or watch Celeste fix her first dinner for Will and watch their first Kiss as warm as summer breezes and as sparkling  as  the fourth of July-


Meet the fill in cast of colorful character-1930-40

Bev Temple who fixes a traditional country Thanksgiving feast

Perky Ginny -Celeste's best friend from childhood

Country school teacher and Miss Whippet city school teacher


Fly in a Cessna, fall in love-learn about the worst abuse and the process of healing and disclosing

Laugh cry weep and dream---The Rag Princess on the plains of Nebraska-by Barbara Franzen

Amazon.com  Kindle softback and hard back or see the Link

The Rag Princess-Why A Book About Child Abuse-Emotional and Sexual

The Rag Princess  About Celeste Dusty Reclaiming Her Identity After Taken From Home

Following a tragic accident Celeste needs a new home. She is content living with the Temples-but an estranged Aunt Sylvie,a Lincoln Socialite moves her to her mansion in Lincoln
where she faces emotional and sexual abuse-

The predator is a popular pastor. Or is he bogus?

The other abuser is Aunt Sylvie-

Later Celeste's pretend boyfriend from childhood, a boy who was her best friend's brother, discovers a rag princess turned Cinderella- The ugly duckling has blossomed but remains scarred from years of abuse
A love story ensues in part three, the final half of the book

I chose to write this story due to my work with severely  with abused children. Multiple sclerosis cut my work short. 

 I worked with kids ages three to seventeen. The cases were heinous. Until doing this work, I had no idea how bad it really was. With Celeste's story,  I hoped to teach about the predator and the experience of the child. I included humor in the writing as a means of emotional breaks and because life includes humor. It is one way of coping.

While my work was with the children, I interviewed a male therapist who worked with the perpetrators. I think in order to catch abuse more quickly, the more we know, the faster we can intervene-The perpetrators are slick and good at what they do-using threats, gifts, anger, love, whatever the child buy into. 

Many CHILDREN are afraid to talk and if their abuser is a parent, they feel guilty at the idea of incriminating someone they love-or they believe they are at fault-It wasn't unusual for a mother to blame the daughter-not wanting to believe the man she loves could do this or that her child has been hurt or that the home will be torn apart.

1. Among those I worked with_One child that I saw was beaten so badly by a mother's boyfriend that almost every major bone in his innocent sweet body was broken. 

2.Another child had been strangled by his father. He hid under desks in the classroom and was afraid of everything much like an abused animal.

2. Another girl-came in week after week to talk about what she was doing wrong. It turned out that a very prominent parent was beating her out of rage.

3.With the sexual abuse, I had a child who was being abused by a predator, a friend of the family, while his mother, unaware, made supper in the next room. She thought the man liked her little boy and was playing with him. The same person had him for overnights and took him swimming in his pool where he proceeded to molest him. The young child was attacking other kids sexually.

Celeste, the main character-hopes to make a dent-In a sequel she marries-during the war-PRAIRIE BRIDE- a fun story-

The Rag Princess-Approaching Child Sexual Abuse-

The Rag Princess takes an intimate look at child abuse-Both sexual and emotional. Writing about the emotional was much easier. Deciding if or how to approach the sexual was far more difficult.

 I thought it would be simple...I worked with those kids day in and day out. Was I in for a surprise? YES- I spent three years writing the scenes over and over.  One editor suggested I skip it. Another person said..."But, it probably does happen." In fact, she said, "It does happen." She was right.

If I was going to write about the perpetrator and the victim, I wasn't going to gloss over it- as thought it wasn't painful and messy and heinous and frightening... 

I wrote about sexual abuse the way it happens, telling  what it's like for a young victim. One   goal of my story was ... to expose the perpetrator- to paint a picture of how smootly they work. They use gifts, they threaten, they find vulnerable victims and scare them witless. Perpetrators know what they are doing-They know their craft so well that they can be abusing a child... with the parent... in the next room. They threaten... telling the child that he or she will die or lose a loved one if they tell the secret-

I chose to be straight and to the point about this topic in The Rag Princess. I interviewed a therapist who has worked with the perpetrator treatment program for over ten years. 
 ...Regardless of the manner used to groom a child-the outcome is ugly-I chose to write it realistically, hoping to make a dent-a big dent...

Predator Scene from The Rag Princess by Barb Franzen

The Rag Princess  Just Released on Amazon.com  digital or paperback A scene where the Pastor has harmed twelve year old Celeste, rural farm girl. Following the death of her parents, she goes to lives with socialite Aunt Sylvie of Lincoln Nebraska,-who also places her in the hands of popular Pastor Evan, a child predator. 
The story becomes a love story of hope when the grown, nurse Celeste, runs into Nebraska rancher, a childhood friend-A story of abuse and reclaiming the self. Laughter and tears and hope-a story written with realism in hopes of reducing child abuse- both sexual and emotional-a STORY THAT ENDS WITH  HOPE

     Celeste  felt herself being yanked up to the surface … tossed down on the side of the pool. Struggling, as water and mucus poured from her mouth, she gasped, coughing and gagging, wanting to dash over for her suit. That’s when she saw the blood swirling about in the pool and was struck by overwhelming pain. Her insides were split open, like a knife carving away at her flesh, her precious possession—not his for the taking. He’d taken regardless, having raped her.

She heard him yelling, “You dirtied the water… Here, take this towel,” he said, tossing it and her suit. “You asked for this,” he accused. “No one would ever believe you. Sylvie already knows about tonight. I’m disappointed in you. You let God down. Fighting the way you did, is another sin for you to write down. God expects this to remain secret; it’s his ritual and Wayward Home is waiting for you if you tell. I’m anyone. You are tarnished corruption; there will be no need to come over this summer. You are hopeless. God knows it is your fault.”

                                                       ***

Walking away, doubled over, Celeste felt numb and distanced. The man back there had raped a child, but the child was someone else. Instead, the Pastor had attacked a girl who looked like her while she stood at the edge of the pool watching.

If asked who the girl was, she knew. It just didn’t seem like she had been there.

Pain—that was the other feeling—the pain of rape. Stinging, throbbing, the agonizing rips were unbearable. In a dazed state, her feet walked her to Sylvie’s house. Surely, Sylvie would believe her and offer Celeste her help and comfort. She would remember what Celeste had told her earlier when she asked to stay home. However, her stomach said differently. Stopping, she threw up. Sickened, and smelly, and messy, Celeste was exhausted by the time she reached Sylvie’s. Wanting to lie down in the yard, instead, she went to the back door. Sylvie was in the kitchen making tea.

The sight of arrogant Sylvie revolted her. Why hadn’t Sylvie believed her? Crouched in pain, Celeste watched the lofty aunt turn to face her, walking towards her The woman’s eyes, scornful and appraising, were like a spotlight, revealing Celeste’s faults, blemishes, and imperfections. Wanting to hide the shame in her face, before Sylvie saw her, Celeste’s thin fingers were too slow.

“You there!” Sylvie hissed, staring at Celeste. “You knew there were locks on the gates? Why did you go over there?”

“Y…You said I had to go, “Celeste stuttered.s just been released on Amazon.com as perback or digital 

The Rag Princess-the Plot Author Barb Franzen

 The Rag Princess by Barb Franzen

-Hopefully out in January

Plot Aunt  Sylvie, whom Celeste knows nothing about, along with an unscrupulous child worker, Elvira, arrive at the Temple’s ranch and home, unannounced. They have come with “official” adoption papers, announcing that 12 year old Celeste and her younger brother, Howie, will be living in Lincoln with the aunt. The Temples are the family that Celeste’s father worked for as a hired hand. Ginny Temple is her best childhood friend.  Aunt Sylvia, the wife of a pharmacist who owns  two drugstores, gravely abuses Celeste, leading her to believe that those she knew and loved gave her away. A Reverend Evan good assists the wealthy aunt in abusing Celeste. He is more interested in young girl than in God. He injures Celeste along with Sylvie's extreme degradation of the young girl. 
.   Later, following nurses training, Celeste reunites with Will Temple, one of the grown Temple children. As a child Celeste was nothing more than a household figure to him. They develop a close relationship, but unfortunately Celeste carries a secret that prevents her from considering marriage. Eventually, during the evening of a Christmas dinner, a meal that Celeste fixes for Will, something happens.Her confession leads to a turbulent evening. Celeste is forced to reveal her secret to Will. Attend the dinner in  Celeste's Christmas Eatery ,  her dining room el, to learn the conclusion. Tears and a lot of laughter, even though this is a serious topic. .
Book stems from my work as a child therapist and further research on Nebraska history during the 1920's through the 30's. Editors- Ladette Randolph winner of the Virginia Faulkner award . Dawn Garcia- Lincoln